Breaking in Through Stringing
By S. Lakshmi

You're a writer-- at least you'd like to think so, but it's hard today because the muse seems to have taken off on a vacation and you are left drumming your fingers on the kitchen table with a mind as blank and sterling white as the sheet at which you are staring. Gazing out the window, you spot your neighbor Edna getting into her car with what looks like a big purple monkey. (Edna's been making soft toys ever since she was little and they are so hideous they're cute!) She's probably off on her weekly 'Angel' errand, something she picked up from an Oprah show about contributing and making a difference from where you are.

Come to think of it, you know a couple of other friends who saw the show and who now bake cakes, knit sweaters and conduct outreach programmers for the needy in your community. The gears upstairs start to spin-- you make a couple of calls, drop in on your friends for a little chat and you've enough material for a story you can slant in a number of ways. You rustle up a few more interesting ideas, call up the editor at the local daily or tabloid that you read, fix up an appointment to pitch your ideas, and you just might be well on your way to becoming a 'stringer.'

What's a Stringer?

Whether you are a 'would-be' writer who's set your sights on getting a foot into the newsroom or are just looking for some new avenues to branch out into, stringing could be your ticket. The term itself refers to a freelance reporter or local correspondent who gets paid by the story, and dates back to the time when part-time reporters were paid for each column inch of copy the newspaper printed. At the end of the week/month, they would measure the space their writing occupied in the newspaper by a length of string. They'd turn in the piece of string, and would be paid according to how long the string was!

Why would an editor use a stringer instead of a staff reporter? Newspaper editors work on very tight deadlines and one of their major goals for each edition is to fill in the blank space left over after ads. Emergencies could pop up at any moment due to last minute ad cancellations or reporters who don't deliver copy on time. In cases like this, your work comes in very handy to fill up that extra space. Since many editors are willing to use beginning writers for stringers because they need to fill space, new writers whose work may not quite be up to the mark have a ready market in which to develop their talents. Also, staff reporters cannot be everywhere at once, and if you've proven yourself to be a reliable freelancer, then you may just be the correspondent assigned to cover a particular story when the need arises. Another factor is the way in which some writers use news rooms as 'revolving doors.' Reporting positions at newspapers don't pay very well, and many writers tend to use the place for gaining experience before moving on to another opportunity. Therefore, spots are always available in the newspaper field. If you come across as an assertive, persistent, available soul with a twitchy nose for news and a good (if not perfect) writing ability, then you could well be the next in line for a full-time staff writer seat.

Okay, How Do I Do It?

So how do you get started? Just call up and say, "I want to be a stringer"? Hardly likely to impress the editor's socks off. You need to do a little groundwork before that. First, analyze the publication for which you want to write. Read through several issues, study the advertisements and get to know the editorial slant of the paper. Make a list of specific ideas that you can offer (and we'll look into that in a little while). Some publications assign articles to stringers and some expect them to come up with news and feature ideas, so be prepared for either scenario. Once you have your idea list, put together your portfolio-- if you've been published before, include articles or clips that are likely to get the editor's attention while showcasing your writing ability. If you've never been published before, the best thing would be to not mention it at all. Write a sample feature for the paper-- the editor needs to see evidence of your writing capability. 

Contact the editor either through a letter or phone call and keep it brief and to the point. You are a writer, you live in the area, and you'd like to know if the publication uses stringers. If they do and they are open to having you (some might already have enough people), you might be asked to come in for an interview. Be relaxed and confident when you approach the editor and articulate your ideas well. Since you have landed the interview, chances are that you will leave the room with an assignment in hand. You can use the same approach to contact all the publications in your region, and even if you don't get an assignment, leave the editors room with an offer to cover anything, anywhere, any time, even if it means reporting on speculation. Calling up once in a while (without nagging!) will ensure that the editor remembers your name once an assignment does become available.

Opportunities For Stringers

Many writers are not aware that, besides stringing for newspapers and news services, there are many other publications that hire stringers. Professional, local, regional, industrial, retail and wholesale trade publications depend upon stringers for news. There's quite a spectrum of opportunities when you consider the sheer range of trade publications-- from industrial trade to publications for the beauty industry to appliance, transportation, educational, mining, metalworking, electronic manufacturing and hardware trade publications. Generally trade union publications print weekly, biweekly, or monthly, and they turn out to be ideal places to break into stringing since they employ a small staff and are constantly in need of good feature articles. Features that deal with new products or how a particular dealer has solved a pressing business problem will find a ready market. (E.g.: "Sell Accessories! Hanson Hardware's Answer to Increasing Costs," "Ten Mistakes Retailers make in Direct Advertising," etc.)

Finding Ideas

Let’s get down to generating ideas for your stories! The first thing is to keep your eyes peeled for what's around you. You see an interesting doll collection or a dress made of safety pins, or a model of the Statue of Liberty done with cigarette stubs-- you perk up and get cracking. There are many wonderful human interest pieces that you can write if you take a fresh look at the people in your community. Wood craftsmen, antique collectors, animal activists, scientists, dancers, authors, inventors, dramatists, singers, etc. can be the inspiration for many a weekly feature. 

Take an inventory of your talents and contacts. Draw upon any special knowledge that you possess-- however limited it might be, it gives you a slight edge. Your interest in painting could translate itself into art reviews. 

Look for gaps in the news coverage that you might be able to fill. Maybe a boxing ring has opened nearby and you haven't heard of it from the papers. Talk to the trainers, fighters and managers, cover a fight and send in your story. Check out the major events happening in your area. Maybe there's a flower show coming up soon, or a dog lovers' ramble in the park, or perhaps there's going to be a marathon soon. What about high school and college sports events? Is you local hospital preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary? A prepared history of the institution, from a one-room dispensary to today's 300-bed unit would be a terrific public relations tool for them and a fantastic writing job for you. Offer to cover these events before they are assigned to overworked staff reporters. 

There are a lot of community concerns that are perennial that you can address-- health, legislation, city development, garbage and dump issues. You could also localize international news and tailor it to fit your reader. If your reader invests in mutual funds, then he has an interest in the Asian economy. How do international lobster harvesting regulations affect the fried lobster on your plate? You can really get creative in this area!

When you do have an assignment in hand, start working on it right away. It's crucial that you do meet your deadline; otherwise you aren't likely to get more assignments. Accurate and clear reporting delivered on time will build up your credibility with the editor. If you are any good with a camera, then some snazzy shots submitted along with your story might result in the editor snapping it up right away. Editors are constantly looking for good local art, but they can't send a staff photographer to every Friday night game. The trick for you will be to take a picture that is better than everything else the editor will see that evening-- something so compelling that he decides to run your high school basketball photo rather than the usual AP pro league picture. What he'll be looking for is action and recognizable faces of a local player. Often, stories written by freelancers aren't accompanied by photos simply because it's too big a pain to get freelance writers and staff photographers together on an assignment. Your story could come across as the total package.

Show Me The Money

Finally, here comes the question everyone's been waiting for-- How much can you make as a stringer? Generally, stringing doesn't pay very well, but it all depends upon the publication that you work for, the type of work involved, and whether they use your photo along with your story. The most you can expect would be $35 per feature from a mid-size daily to a couple of hundred dollars from big-city dailies. An average newspaper photo pays about $75. However, there are benefits that do make it worthwhile: recognition in your community, a growing network of contacts, publication with a byline, increased confidence and skill as both a writer and a researcher, culminating in a collection of published work that you can use to your advantage. You might graduate from being a stringer to a staff reporter quite quickly, or you could use the experience to work your way up to a magazine position. The skills that you pick up here could also be extended in other areas-- proposal writing, technical writing, television or public relations.

What's the scope for stringers? While local assignments may vary as widely as covering a church meeting for the weekly religion page to reporting on a town council meeting in a neighboring village, you could also be called upon to give foreign reports (depending on where you live). The Christian Science Monitor and The Economist rely frequently on stringers for their foreign reports. The Miami Herald, The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, like most papers, give stringers bylines, designating them as "special" correspondents. Prominent wire services such the A. P. and Reuters rely on stringers' copy from countries in which they do not have full-time staff correspondents. Many major news organizations use stringers to brief staff correspondents (who usually "parachute" into foreign locations for only a few days), arrange interviews, and provide background information. Television also buys footage from freelance camera crews. Newsweek and Time rely on a worldwide network of print stringers and buy most of their photos from agency-affiliated freelance photographers. Radio is extremely dependent on freelancers. Major national news radio services rely predominantly on stringers for their primary international news, especially on-the-scene foreign reporting, or "spots."

Becoming a stringer these days is much easier than it used to be, especially if you are still in college. The New Jersey Press Foundation, the charitable arm of the New Jersey Press Association, awards several scholarships to college students who work as newspaper interns and stringers. The Foundation plans to award as many as 12 scholarships of $1,000 each to New Jersey residents who work as interns and stringers for the state's newspapers between September 1, 2000, and August 31, 2001. Even press associations are beginning to recognize the need for training local talent. At the Huck Boyd National Center for Community Media at Kansas State University, journalism "academies" give would-be reporters a foundation of skills. The Minnesota Newspaper Foundation has begun hosting three-day reporting skills seminars designed to teach journalists "everything you need to know to begin to cover local news intelligently and confidently."

Even though stringing may not pay very well, it is an exciting writing occupation. You get to see your name in print and be in the thick of the action. You make a difference in your community by setting the agenda on what's important. Whether you are a fledgling reporter, an aspiring writer, or are simply flexing your writing muscles, stringing could be the creative outlet you need!

I'm a freelance writer based in India and my specialisation is in writing about yoga, spirituality, mysteries, arts, crafts and dancing. Writing fantasy is my passion. I can be contacted at lakshcarpedium@yahoo.com.

© 2001 S.Lakshmi.  All rights reserved.

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